


The Revanchist

by dirtywaterbuzz



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebellion Era - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Brief kidnapping, Emperor Vader, OC may or may not be as strong or stronger in the Force than Anakin/Vader, Odessen, Order of Revan, Revanchist
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-12
Updated: 2017-09-27
Packaged: 2018-11-13 07:51:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11180319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dirtywaterbuzz/pseuds/dirtywaterbuzz
Summary: A boy finds Revan's Jedi holocron, and becomes the next Revanchist under the Prodigal Knight's guidance. The journey he embarks on takes him all over the galaxy to combat the threat of the Sith. Determined to find and destroy the dark Order, he must fight while doing his best to remain in the shadows and away from the prying eyes of the Jedi Order.





	1. The Holocron

Aleixo Kast was not a normal child.

That much he knew, from a young age. He was born a slave, but he never knew who his parents were. Whether they were killed, or abandoned him, or something else entirely, he didn’t know and frankly didn’t care. He’d raised himself, and at this point he figured he didn’t need anyone to take care of him.

At some point (he couldn’t remember how old he was, not that it mattered or that he cared much), he noticed he was…different from other people. He could sense things, like emotions, in others and in his surroundings; he noticed his instincts and reflexes were noticeably better than others, and later on he figured out he could make things move and float with his mind. He had no idea what any of this meant, and no matter how much he thought about it, he never could find an answer.

Then, he came across a mysterious object. It was…a strange shape. Undoubtedly polygon in shape, 12 sides, but it wouldn’t open. And Aleixo couldn’t find any way to open it, at least not through his first visual examination. But when he picked it up, it glowed, and the holographic image of a rich looking man appeared.

“Ah, hello there, youngling. I am Revan.”

Youngling? Just how old did this guy think he was?

“How about you don’t call me youngling. I’m 13, after all,” Aleixo replied. No matter who he was talking to, he wasn’t going to just drop the attitude that he always carried with him.

“Ha, my apologies. At your age, you must be a Padawan by now. Be forewarned, however, that I will not take responsibility for any foolishness you may perform,” Revan replied.

“What are you talking about? What’s a Padawan?” Aleixo said. He was growing more confused by the second. Was Padawan some sort of weird Jedi thing?

“So, you aren’t a Jedi. But you’re no doubt force sensitive. Have you had any training at all?” Revan said back.

“Nope. I don’t even know what the Force is.”

“Ha! My boy, your learning is only just beginning. The Force is what surrounds and binds all of us together in the galaxy. It flows through us, and resides in every living thing, You must be open to it if you are going to learn, but even I can tell that you have great potential,” the image of Revan said.

Suddenly, Aleixo became somewhat excited, though his excitement was quickly tempered by the realization of his circumstances. “So, you want me to be a Jedi. There’s one problem with that: I’m a slave.”

Revan laughed in response. No, he would not make this boy a Jedi. At least, not in the sense that the actual Order believed a Jedi should be. No, he had different plans for him. “No matter, my boy. You will be a Jedi, but not one of the Order. I will teach you the Force as they never would. You will be my successor; the one in the middle.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so begins my first venture into writing fanfiction. I have a coupe of chapters written out past this, but I want to flesh them and maybe a couple of future chapters out some before I post again. Until then, May the Force be With You.


	2. Freedom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aleixo kills a Hutt, has words with a Jedi, and goes off to begin putting his plans into motion.

Aleixo trained daily, and constantly, for eight years under Revan’s guidance. He knew, of course, of the war raging in the galaxy, and he hoped that perhaps someday the Republic might stumble upon whatever Force forsaken planet he was on. _I don’t even know where in this blasted galaxy I am_ , he thought, laughing to himself. Maybe one of these days he’d just up and kill his master and turn him into the bantha fodder he truly was.

He’d constructed two lightsabers, using Revan’s knowledge. One with a bright, purple blade ( _Just like Revan’s_ , he thought as he smirked to himself), and a second, a shoto, with a blazing blue blade. Not that he intended to dual wield all the time, of course. He much preferred wielding only one blade, but Revan had been insistent that he master the ability to dual wield as well. “It can only help you, Aleixo,” he had said. “Single blade mastery is excellent, but if you are a master with not only one blade, but two, it will provide you with additional advantages, not the least of being surprise if your opponent doesn’t anticipate your mastery with a second blade.”

He’d become a Master of his abilities in the Force, some light, some dark. He’d learned how to both control his emotions, and how to use them to his advantage. His proficiency in lightsaber combat was, in Revan’s own words, astounding. He’d mastered all seven forms, but preferred Form VI, Niman (To say this pleased Revan would be an understatement, to say the least). The best lesson he’d learned, however, was how to shield his mind. Revan said that was his best tool, particularly around other Force users. He and Revan could both sense the darkness in the galaxy; the Sith, undoubtedly, and there wasn’t any way in any of the nine Corellian Hells he wanted _them_ to sense his growing abilities.

Everything for Aleixo changed when the Jedi came and discovered his slave camp. Keeping his shields up, he watched as the two Jedi and their soldiers stormed the camp and began freeing the slaves. Knowing without a doubt that his worm of a master would be trying to run at this point, Aleixo took advantage of the chaos caused by the Jedi and, after grabbing his two lightsabers, sought him out.

Grakkus the Hutt was not your typical Hutt, at least not in appearance. Rather than being a fat slob, Grakkus was quite well built. _No matter_ , Aleixo thought to himself. _He’s still going to die easy_.

Just as he’d suspected, the coward was trying to run away. Well-built or not, he was as slimy and cowardly as you’d expect a Hutt to be. “Koona tchuta, Grakkus?” he called out. Grakkus turned to face Aleixo, making him grin with pleasure. “Don’t worry, you piece of filth. The Jedi won’t be capturing you. I’m going to kill you before they get the chance.” He unclasped his main lightsaber from his waist and activated it with a _snap-hiss_ , calling on the Force as he closed in on Grakkus and began choking him. As Grakkus suffocated and his eyes pleaded for mercy, Aleixo stabbed his lightsaber through the Hutt’s stomach as he slumped over, dead.

“E chu ta,” Aleixo said out loud.

“So, who are you?” a voice behind him asked.

 _Koochoo,_ he thought to himself. _Should’ve known they’d see me._

Deactivating his lightsaber and clipping it back to his ragged belt, Aleixo turned and was greeted by the face of a Jedi Knight about the same age as he was, with a face that gave off an expression of both curiosity and, strangely, a small amount of hostility.

“I’m Aleixo,” he replied. “Aleixo Kast. And you are?” He knew damn well who he was talking to. At least, sort of. He knew he was talking to a Jedi, at the very least.

“Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight,” he responded. “Are you…”

“A Jedi? No. Come on, Master Jedi, do I really look like one of you?” Aleixo replied. Yup, no matter how much Grakkus and his goons tried to beat it out of him, he still was intent on carrying the same old attitude he always had.

“So then you’re…Sith?” Anakin continued.

“What? No, of course not. I’m just a slave who found a lightsaber a while back and used it” _Well, at least part of that is true,_ Aleixo thought to himself. He strained to keep his mental shields tight, not wanting to give away his Force signature.

“I’d have an easier time believing that if I hadn’t seen you use the Force just then,” Skywalker responded. _Sith spit,_ he thought. He knew better than to be so open with the Force. ( _Accept your anger, channel it as I have taught you, but never let it get the best of you. You must always be in control,_ Revan would later say to him.)

Looking around and seeing the other Jedi occupied, Aleixo, attempting to deflect, asked, “Who's that?”

“That man would be Obi-Wan Kenobi,” Anakin answered. “So, are you going to tell me the real story here, or are we going to have to take you back to the Jedi Temple to figure it out?”

He definitely didn’t want to go back to the Temple. He couldn’t let the entire Jedi Order know who he was. Especially if he and Revan’s plans were to ever come to fruition. No, they wouldn’t make him a part of their Order, but there was no doubt in his mind that they’d be keeping close tabs on him.

“I told you already. I’m just a slave who found a lightsaber and decided to use it. I don’t know anything about the Force or any of that stuff. There’s no other story.”

“You’re force sensitive,” Skywalker said. “You might want to strengthen your shields. I can sense your force signature.”

 _Stang._ He threw his shields back up, tighter than ever.

“So, let’s try this again,” the young Knight said. “Who are you?”

“Aleixo Kast. I told you.”

“I meant, who are you and how are you using the Force if you’re not a Jedi or a Sith.”

Aleixo could sense Anakin’s strength in the Force. It likely rivaled his own, of that there was no doubt. But Aleixo was good. In fact, he was better than good. Without giving himself away, he’d already sent a tendril out through the Force, entered the Jedi’s mind and assessed his strengths, his weaknesses, his light, his darkness, and his secrets.

“You have such a narrow view, Master Jedi. The Force is not limited to Jedi or Sith. Just because I am not a part of your Order, doesn’t make me a part of the Sith.”

“What do you know of the Force?” Anakin asked, almost startled by the response he received. He definitely hadn’t been expecting an actual answer like he got.

“More than you know, Skywalker. More than any of your Order claim to know.”

“How do you…”

Anakin stared at the young man before him. He couldn’t be any older than he himself was, and he appeared to have some knowledge of and some strength in the Force, though how great his strength was he couldn’t tell. Either he was really good at shielding his mind, or the Force didn’t want him to –

“I can sense you trying to get in my head again, Skywalker. Don’t bother. You won’t be able to,” Aleixo interrupted. W _ho the frackin hell is this guy?_ Anakin thought to himself.

“How did you – “

“Don’t question how you can’t get into my head anymore, but rather, question why I was so easily able to get into yours without you even noticing. I know everything about you, and it took me only a matter of minutes to do it.”

Anakin’s face turned from genuine curiosity to anger quickly. How dare he enter his mind? And why couldn’t he sense it? He began to reach for his lightsaber when it was quickly pulled from his belt and into Aleixo’s open palm. _How the?_

“Seriously? I’m not looking to fight you, Skywalker,” Aleixo handed the lightsaber back to Anakin, who took it almost robotically and without really realizing he was even moving. His face was in pure astonishment. “You might want to work on your shields, though. And your Force wall too, at that. Something like that really shouldn’t be able to happen,” Aleixo advised with some caution. The Jedi Knight continued to stare at him, a mix of surprise and annoyance on his face.

“Listen to me, Anakin. I am on your side. I want what’s best for the galaxy. I’ve trained for eight years with a holocron. I am not a Jedi, and I’m not a Sith. I simply am. I walk the line between the light and the dark. Your Jedi Revan is my master,” he said.

Anakin was in shock. He’d heard the stories of Revan, but he’d no idea they were actually true, never mind that someone could learn of him from a holocron. This young man was intriguing to him. “Aleixo, please, come back to Coruscant with us. You can join the Order. Help us. Fight with us.”

Aleixo raised a hand to cut Anakin off. “No, I can’t do that, Skywalker. I’m not joining your Order and fighting your war. My place is on my own. Not following your Code.”

“What? What do you – “Again, Anakin was cut off.

“I’m leaving here, Skywalker. May the Force be with you.”

With that, Aleixo turned on his heel and walked away. He didn’t know where he was going to go, but he trusted that the will of the Force would guide him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have this head canon where Revan can still sense the force even in holographic/AI form. No idea, if this would actually hold up in real canon, but I've decided I'll do what I want.
> 
> I have more plans for Aleixo and Anakin meeting down the line, but I thought this was a good starting point. I don't know when I'll have the next chapter up, because I'm still editing it and fleshing it out some. But I'll update whenever I feel like I'm ready. Kudos and comments are cool too, guys. Don't be shy about leaving them.


	3. Three Nil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aleixo arrives at Takodana, but finds himself in need of a ship. 
> 
> (Sorry, I'm not particularly good at writing summaries)

_Takodana, Maz Kanata’s Castle – One Month Later_

Aleixo took another sip of his drink, grimacing slightly as he did so. It was strong, there was no doubt about that, but not so strong that he couldn’t handle it. Besides, he needed something with alcohol in it right about now.

He’d made his way to Takodana only a couple of days ago, since he’d heard some people talking about the “Pirate Queen of Takodana.” After a few whispers in the right ears, and conversations with the right people, he’d managed to hitch a ride (for free, at that. Thank the stars for the Force) to the planet’s Nymeve Lake and into Maz’s Castle itself. Hanging around here was pretty simple, seeing as Maz only had one rule: No fighting.

In reality, there were hundreds of rules at Maz’s Castle. “No fighting” just happened to be the most important. But, the number of pirates and smugglers and, well, pretty much all types of sentient beings in the galaxy pretty much made it the perfect spot for Aleixo to get his first ship. After all, if he had any hope of accomplishing what he and Master Revan intended to, he needed to get himself a ship. The problem was, he wasn’t really sure how to go about getting one. The even bigger problem: He didn’t have any credits.

He shouldn’t say that. He had credits; at least, enough to buy himself a few drinks and earn Maz’s favor with a temporary room to stay in. But he didn’t have anywhere near enough credits to try and bribe someone to give him their ship, or even to just buy one straight up.

He threw back the last of his drink and retreated to his room. There wasn’t much to it; A bed, fresh sheets, and a blanket, but that was really all he needed right now and he was grateful to Maz for her accommodations.

He placed the holocron on the windowsill, opening it to greet his teacher, mentor, and pretty much closest thing to a friend that he had right now. The holographic image of Revan appeared before him, and the deceased man looked at him with a smile.

“Aleixo, my boy. How are preparations coming along?” he asked.

“Not great so far, Master. I don’t have enough credits for a ship, and I wouldn’t know where to get one even if I did.,” Aleixo responded.

“Hm, yes, that is quite a predicament my friend,” Revan replied. “Tell me, where are we now? It’s been a while since we were last able to speak.”

“We’re on Takodana right now. Maz Kanata’s Castle, specifically. I managed to hitch a ride out here and I managed to get some…temporary accomodations.”

 _Only for a night,_ Aleixo thought to himself. He couldn’t afford the damn fees he knew Maz would impose if he tried to overstay his welcome. A string of Huttese curses raced through his mind as he started to mentally go over his options.

Letting out a sigh, he spoke out loud again. “I need a ship, Master Revan. If any of our plans are going to be put in motion, I need a ship so I can, you know, actually start putting them into motion. The only thing I can think of is stealing a ship. That, or jumping on some spacer’s crew, but that doesn’t really seem like the ideal choice.”

Revan stood silently for a moment, contemplating what his apprentice had said. “Hm,” he said, his hand covering his mouth as he rubbed his jaw with his forefinger and thumb. “I think, my young friend, your best course of action might be to steal a ship. I’m afraid we don’t have time to waste working as a smuggler.”

“I think you’re right,” Aleixo responded. “The dark side is growing stronger in the galaxy. I need to be ready when the time comes to take down this Sith.”

“Well, what are you waiting for then? Devise your plan, and carry it out,” Revan said. Aleixo nodded respectfully to the image of his Master before deactivating the holocron. _Time to become Revanchist, I suppose,_ he thought to himself.

 

*****

 

Jessa Novar stepped out of her ship and took in her surroundings. Takodana was a beautiful planet, and while she didn’t intend to stay long, she definitely wanted to stay long enough to carry a mental image of the planet with her after she left.

She was here for a reason, though. She knew Takodana was home to the Pirate Queen, and therefore she figured that there was a good chance of finding some work here. A whisper here, a conversation there, and she may just find herself something to keep her busy for a while. Besides, the last thing she wanted to do was work for one of the Hutts. Hell, maybe somebody here was looking for work themselves. It was about time she started building the small crew she envisioned herself having eventually.

Entering the cantina, she scanned the room for anyone that stood out as fitting her needs. Seeing nothing obvious, she let out an audible sigh and made her way to the bar. Taking the empty seat, she ordered herself a drink and quickly threw it back. _Damn, smooth,_ she thought to herself before quickly ordering another one.

“You’re looking for something, aren’t you?” a voice said in front of her. She had her head down, so she didn’t see who it was immediately. When she raised it, though, she realized she was talking to the Pirate Queen herself: Maz Kanata.

“I guess you could say that,” Jessa said back, shaking her drink slowly in a circular motion before taking a sip. “Either someone with work, or someone looking for work. Or maybe both. Doesn’t matter much to me.”

“Hm,” was Maz’s only response.

Jessa finished the rest of her drink and was about to leave when Maz spoke up again.

“There’s nobody here that would be of interest to you, dear. You could have a more fruitful time if you visited Nar Shadaa, though.”

Jessa pondered the idea for a moment. She hadn’t made her way to Nar Shadaa yet, though she reasoned that that could be a large part of why she was having difficulty finding a job to run. Maz probably knows best, she figured.

“Not a bad idea. I’ll have to make that my next stop,” she said. Throwing down a few credits to pay for her drinks, she stood and made her way back to her ship.

When she reached it, however, the stairs to enter the ship were down. She knew she had closed them when she had left the ship earlier, so there was little doubt in her mind that someone had made their way in while she was in the cantina.

Drawing her blaster from her right hip, she slowly made her way up the stairs and onto the bridge. Nobody was directly ahead of her, so she did a 180 degree turn and made her way towards the lounge area.

“Put that away. You’ve no need for it,” said a male voice ahead of her. The man it came from stood openly in the lounge with his hands clasped behind his back, wearing black robes and a grey cloak with the hood pulled over the head, with his face covered in a Mandalorian style mask. If this guy was Mando, there wasn’t a chance in any of the nine Corellian Hells that she was going to lower her blaster.

“You must be a real plastihead if you think I’m dumb enough to do that,” she said, having no intentions of backing down.

The man didn’t move to attack her, or disarm her. He did, however, audibly laugh at her declaration. “You’re dead set on doing something stupid, aren’t you?” he said through his laugh.

Confused, Jessa lowered her blaster a bit and relaxed her stance slightly. _Just who the droyk did this guy think he was?_ she thought. No matter, she decided. No one broke into her ship and didn’t get littered with blaster holes in return. “Onna fulle guth,” she said with venom as she raised her blaster again.

“Oh, you don’t want that,” the man replied darkly. “That was a big mistake.” Suddenly, Jessa’s blaster flew into the man’s outstretched hand before he threw it to the side. _Sweet Sookie,_ she thought. _Fine, no blaster? I can take this ratch without it._ Acting fast, she charged towards the man, who didn’t flinch, but rather outstretched his right hand once more. Jessa suddenly found herself frozen in place, unable to move any part of her body, save for her eyes.

“I should just throw you into the cell over there,” he said, gesturing with his head towards the ship’s holding cell. “But, that strikes me as a bit too…complicated. No…I know what I’ll do.” Before Jessa knew what was happening, the man waved his fingers in the air in front of her, and she quickly lost consciousness as her limp body collapsed to the floor.

 

*****

 

The first thing Jessa heard as she came to was the hum of the ship in hyperspace. As she opened her eyes, she started remembering what had happened before she passed out (or, rather, was forcibly knocked out). Her hand immediately went to her hip to reach for her blaster, but it wasn’t there. _Blast it,_ she thought. She stood up to get her bearings and she looked around for her blaster.

Nowhere to be found. _Damn it. Things just keep getting better,_ she thought as she silently groaned to herself. Quietly, she made her way towards the cockpit, where the man who had kidnapped her and stolen her ship was standing, his back to her and his hands clasped together behind him. Approaching him from behind, she readied herself to attack, hoping he hadn’t heard her already.

“I can sense your presence, you know,” the man said. “You aren’t surprising me.”

“Doesn’t mean I still won’t fight,” she responded.

The man sighed before turning around to face her, his mask still covering his face. “I don’t wish to fight you,” he said. “But, if you really wish to, I suppose I have no choice.”

Jessa didn’t say anything back. Instead, she moved to punch him. Except, it didn’t connect. Hells, it didn’t even come close. He caught her wrist before it even came close.

“Come on now, is this really necessary?” he asked.

“You kriffing _kidnapped me,_ you son of a bitch,” she said through gritted teeth. “Not to mention you stole my ship!”

Thinking fast, she spun and leaned towards him as she drove her left elbow into his stomach, forcing him to release his hold as he gasped for air, trying to catch his breath. She took advantage of his vulnerability and delivered a swift kick to his knee, sending him sprawling to the ground, still out of breath. She moved fast, hoping she could pin him down, but she found herself thrown back against the wall by an invisible force.

“Damn it!” she said out loud as she brought her hand to her head. It was pounding, and her whole body was hurting from the force of the impact. The man climbed back to his feet, and walked over to her.

“I can’t say I didn’t have that coming,” he said, reaching down to offer his hand to help her up. “But let’s not fight anymore. It serves no purpose.”

Refusing his help, Jessa stood back up, quickly deciding it was probably in her best interests if she didn’t try to fight again. Not that she didn’t think she could win, because she was sure she could take this guy if she wanted to try again, but her body still hurt and her head wasn’t exactly feeling too good either.

“So,” she said. “You stole my ship. You took me with you. What do you want? Because I will tell you right now that if you want me to be a slave – “

“No, no,” he said. She couldn’t see his face, but she could tell by his voice that something she said has struck him the wrong way; he seemed almost hurt by the very suggestion. “I don’t want you to be a slave. Please, don’t worry about that.”

“Then what in the nine hells _do_ you want with me?” she asked, with a little more bite behind her voice this time.

“Quite honestly, nothing anymore,” he responded. “I do intend to keep your ship, though.”

“Then why didn’t you just take my damn ship in the first place instead of waiting for me?” she asked. “So you could knock me out using some sort of hokey magic and then dump me on some random planet in some random part of the galaxy?”

The man stood silently, seemingly thinking about her words. “I…well…I actually don’t know. You…you raise a point. I obviously didn’t think through my plan as completely as I should have,” he said. “I sincerely apologize for what I did to you. This all could have been avoided if I hadn’t acted so brashly.”

Jessa snorted at the apology, as if to say “No shit.” She rubbed her head again, the pain still intense, but thankfully not overbearing. After a long and somewhat uncomfortable silence, she decided to speak up again.

“So,” she began. “Where exactly are we going right now?”

The man turned his back to her, and once again clasped his hands behind him. What Jessa couldn’t see, however, was the smile forming under his mask.

“Odessen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter is named "Three Nil" after the Slipknot song of the same title
> 
> So this chapter is mostly from the POV of my Suggler OC. You'll find that her perspective will refer to Aleixo as "the man," and Aleixo's perspective will refer to her as "the woman" in the next chapter. That is, until I have them actually tell each other their names.
> 
> "Ratch" and "droyk" are both Corellian swears  
> "Onna fulle guth" is an Old Corellian challenge. I'm not sure if it technically is supposed to be used like it is here, but if not, then I guess I just re-purposed it here.  
> "Sweet Sookie" is just a Corellian exclamation. Kind of like going "Holy shit" for us.
> 
> Jessa's a smuggler. I couldn't help myself. I just had to make her Corellian.
> 
> Also, yes, I did just pluck Odessen from Legends Old Republic continuity. You might find me doing that with various Legends material if I see fit.


	4. Odessen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aleio speaks to Revan, he and Jessa explore the Odessen wilderness and finally learn each other's names, and find the ancient military base he had been searching for.

“Odessen?” the woman asked. “What kind of karking planet is that? I’ve never even heard of it before. And believe me, buddy. I’ve been to just about every planet from Corellia to blasted Rishi.”

“I would imagine you’re quite familiar with Corellia,” Aleixo replied, dodging the real question. “Especially considering that’s your home planet.”

“And exactly what makes you think that?” she said, the venom in her voice quite clear to even a non-force sensitive.

“Given your familiarity with a wide array of Corellian tongue, it isn’t very difficult to decipher such information,” he replied, with a hint of pomposity in his voice, feeling somewhat proud of himself for deducing where she was from so easily.

“Great,” she said. “So you know where I’m from. Now can you just answer the damn question?!”

“I told you,” he said calmly. “We’re going to the planet Odessen.”

“But where the hell is it?!” she asked bitterly. He could tell that his avoiding nature was already beginning to grind on her.

He paused for a moment, debating internally on whether or not he should tell her. Finally, he spoke. “The unknown regions,” he said.

“Oh you have got to be kidding me,” she said. “You’re taking me to the unknown regions? Why not just shoot me out the damn airlock instead?”

Aleixo chose to ignore her, instead turning to face her once more. “You’re injured, correct?”

The woman was visibly taken aback by the question, clearly unsure what to think. “Uh, yeah, sort of,” she said. “Or, no. I don’t know. I hit the wall pretty hard.” Her adrenaline began to fade, and the pain in her body came on strong. Sitting down on the floor of the cockpit, she brought her hand to her head again and groaned audibly in pain.

“Here,” Aleixo said. “Be still, I will help you.” Crouching down in front of her, he began to reach into the Force, but the woman objected.

“What? No, what the hell are you doing?!” she exclaimed. “Don’t touch me!”

Aleixo stayed crouched down, but didn’t move towards her any more than he already had. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I won’t harm you. I’m simply going to perform a healing technique. It will rid you of your pain. Now please, be still.”

The woman moved again out of his way, eliciting an annoyed sigh from Aleixo. “If you don’t wish to feel better, then I will not heal you. It’s your choice.”

She shifted a bit, but then sat still, evidently choosing to let him get rid of the pain she was feeling. Aleixo reached out into the Force, placing his hand on her head as he channeled his connection with it into her.

She shook her head slightly when he removed his hand, and she sat up as he stood up.

“What did you do to me?” she asked.

Aleixo smiled slightly underneath his mask, audibly chuckling as he answered her. “Nothing serious. Just a basic healing technique is all. Are you feeling better?”

“I…yeah, actually. I do,” she said. Then, hesitantly, she added, “Thanks…”

“It is the least I could do,” Aleixo answered as he walked away. “I have someone that I must speak with. Do whatever you wish, but I ask that you please do not disturb me until I am finished.”

He entered the lounge area of the ship, leaving the bewildered woman in the cockpit. Taking the holocron out from the inside of his cloak, he entered the ship’s briefing room and placed it on the table. He lifted his ask so it stuck straight out from the top of his head, activated the holocron, and the image of Revan appeared before him with a smile.

“Ah, my apprentice. I presume you’ve procured a ship?”

“I have, Master. Things could have gone smoother, though that’s entirely my own fault,” Aleixo replied. The girl was right: He could have, and really should have, just taken the ship without waiting for her. “I waited for the ship’s captain to come back before taking off. I…took her with me after knocking her out.”

Revan’s smile didn’t fade much, but he did lower his gaze, pinching the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb. “Ah, my boy. It’s alright. Mistakes happen. You’re young and inexperienced, but you’re learning. You can still correct the situation, no?”

“Of course I can, Master,” he said. We’re on our way to Odessen now. After I find what we’re looking for on the planet’s surface, I’ll take her to whatever planet she wishes and drop her off there.”

He suddenly sensed the girl’s presence behind him. No doubt eavesdropping, for whatever reason. He made a mental note to lower his mask again before turning back around.

“Good plan, my young apprentice,” Revan said. “Remember what I told you about Odessen’s wilderness, though. It can be quite dangerous. Do be careful.”

“I will, Master,” he said with a smile and a respectful nod. “Don’t worry about me.”

He deactivated the holoron and returned it to the inside of his cloak. Lowering his mask again, he turned around to face the woman. “I see you were listening in,” he said.

“Yeah,” she said. “Who the hell were you talking to? A fracking ghost?”

Aleixo smiled behind his mask slightly, amused at her curiosity. “It’s nothing you need concern yourself with,” he said. “Especially since you and I will be parting ways after we explore Odessen.”

The girl shot a look back at him. “We?!” she exclaimed. “What is this ‘we’ stuff you’re on about?”

He chuckled audibly as he walked past her. “Well, for one, I can’t say leaving you alone in the ship would be a very good idea, considering you would probably just take it back and leave,” he said. “And second, I don’t presume you would want to be left alone in the wilderness of an unfamiliar planet. So, for your own safety and for the sake of my ship, I think you should come with me.”

Sighing heavily, the girl looked down, and then looked back up at him. “Alright, fine,” she said. “But I want my blaster back. I’m not some damsel in distress. I can handle myself.”

“I am sure you can,” he replied, removing her blaster from his belt. Flipping it around so his hand was on the barrel, he extended his arm and handed it back to her. “But please,” he said. “Don’t shoot me with it. Accidentally _or_ on purpose.”

Smirking, the girl took the blaster from Aleixo’s hand and returned it to the holster on her right hip. “Don’t tempt me, then.”

 

*****

 

Aleixo returned to the cockpit, just in time to see the ship drop out of hyperspace and enter Odessen’s orbit. Taking control, he guided them into the planet’s atmosphere and searched for a clearing in the wilderness to land. The girl entered the cockpit too, standing behind him and looking out of the front window. “There,” she said, pointing to a clear space in the forest. “You can land over there.”

He set the ship down, and the two of them exited the ship and began walking. They were both silent for a while, before she spoke up, breaking the silence. “So…do you even know where we’re going?”

“Not specifically, no,” he replied. “I’m just…trusting my instincts…to guide us to where we need to go.”

The girl gave him a look that was a mix of confusion and disdain, making Aleixo realize she probably believed he was out of his mind. This made him smirk a bit behind his mask. _No matter,_ he thought. _I’ll drop her on some other planet soon enough. She doesn’t need to know anything._

Suddenly, he felt the Force screaming “Danger!” at him. He looked around quickly, scanning their surroundings when he saw a large shade stalker running towards them at an extremely high speed. “Beside you!” he yelled to the girl, but she didn’t react fast enough, and the shade stalker was almost right on top of her. Thinking fast, he Force pushed her forward and out of the way, drawing the large animal’s focus to him and him alone.

Aleixo drew one of his lightsabers from the back of his belt, igniting it with a _snap-hiss_ and dropping into the opening stance for his preferred form, Niman. The creature moved quickly, and it wasn’t going to make it easy on him. Every swipe Aleixo made with his blade, the animal dodged with its sheer speed. Deciding that Form VI was too slow and wouldn’t work in this situation, he quickly shifted mid-swipe from a basic Form I maneuver to a faster, more aggressive Form VII move in order to match the creature’s speed with his own. His blade connected with one of its limbs, severing it as the creature elicited a loud roar from the pain. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he moved to stab the creature through the chest when he heard a single blaster shot from behind it. It collapsed, and he saw the girl standing there, blaster still raised as she appeared to still be somewhat in shock at what had happened.

Deactivating his lightsaber and placing it on the back of his belt, he walked over to her as she lowered her blaster and returned it to the holster on her hip. “You ok?” he asked.

“Yeah,…yeah,” she answered. “I think I’m good. What the hell was that thing?”

“Shade stalker” he said. “My Master said I might run into them. Fast, dangerous, usually come in packs. Count us lucky we only ran into one.”

He continued on past her as she turned around to keep up. “Why exactly did you save me there?” she asked. “And how did you know that thing was coming before I even saw it?”

He continued walking, but turned his head towards her slightly. “Why would I let it attack you?” he asked in turn. “As for your other question, call it ‘heightened awareness.’”

“Well, thanks,” she said. “But I think you’re full of bantha poo.”

Aleixo was taken aback by the accusation. “And what makes you say that?” he asked. _I’m not even sure why it matters to her,_ he thought.

“The laser sword,” she said. “You’re a Jedi, aren’t you?”

It took every bit of will power Aleixo had to stop himself from bursting out laughing. He did, however, allow himself a slight chuckle. “No, I’m not a Jedi. But thank you for the laugh. You have quite the sense of humor.”

“What do you mean you’re not a Jedi? They’re the only people I’ve seen using those laser swords in this blasted galaxy,” she said back.

 _No need to try and explain things to her,_ he thought to himself. _I’m not sure she’d even understand, either._ “I mean that I’m not a Jedi. I’m not a member of the Jedi Order. I simply know how to use a lightsaber,” he said, hoping his tone would convey the fact that he didn’t want to expand on things.

The pair continued walking, the girl visibly more alert now with her head on a constant swivel, and Aleixo keeping his Force sense high. They were silent again for a while, before she spoke up (yet again). “You know,” she said, the volume of her voice lower than what has been the norm for her since she first returned to her ship on Takodana. “You...never did tell me your name.”

Puzzled, Aleixo turned his head in her direction. “Why do you want to know my name?” he asked.

“Well, I mean, I figure if we’re going to be sticking together for a while longer, it might be good if we knew each other’s names.”

Aleixo turned his head back, looking straight ahead and contemplating what she had said. He wasn’t sure if he wanted anyone to know his name right now, and he had already taken a risk in telling Skywalker his real name. Force, this is one of those times he wished Master Revan was actually here. He’d know what to do. _But,_ he thought with a mental sigh. _He isn’t._

Except he was pretty sure he knew what Revan would say. He could practically hear his voice in his head. _Trust your own judgment, Aleixo. I can only give you guidance. Your decisions are just that: Yours._

“Uh, are you ok?”

He turned his head back to the girl. How long had he been lost in thought? “Yes,” he answered her. “I’m fine. Just thinking is all.”

“Ohhhk…” she said, almost hesitantly. “Well, anyways, I’m Jessa. Jessa Novar.”

 _Kirff it,_ he thought. “I’m Aleixo,” he responded in kind. “Aleixo Kast.” He stopped walking, turned to her, and gave a slight bow.

“What the hell is wrong with a handshake, Aleixo?” she said, extending her hand out towards him. Aleixo paused for a moment, before taking her hand in kind and shaking it. “There,” she said with a smirk. “Was that so difficult?”

 

*****

 

Aleixo and Jessa suddenly found themselves staring at a large door that looked as though it had been carved into the giant cliff they were in front of. He found himself appreciating his mask’s ability to hide his facial expressions, since standing there with his mouth agape wouldn’t have done much for the air of mystique and secrecy that he was still keeping about him.

“So it is real,” he said out loud.

“Come again?” Jessa asked. “You brought us here to search for something that may not have even existed? Are you kidding me?”

“Exactly,” is all he said in return as he reached into the Force and lifted the door open, revealing an elevator that would lead them into the interior of the base. He activated it, bringing them to what appeared to be a cantina, though it was more of a ghost town now than anything. The pair made their way through the cantina and out onto the main platform that was the entrance to every aspect of the base. Landing pads, terminal stations likely for various uses, and mounted turrets stood outside at the front entrance. It was unlike anything Aleixo had ever seen before. He couldn’t help but feel amazed at the sheer size of it all, let alone the fact that it all was carved into the cliffside.

“It’s incredible, isn’t it?” he said, craning his head to look in Jessa’s direction. The pair continued walking towards another door, and when they came to it, they noticed it was locked by handprint. Aleixo made a mental note to play around with the base’s main systems to see if he could change the security. Reaching into the Force once again, he extended both arms outwards, turning both hands palm-up and lifting the door carefully until he was sure it wouldn’t close suddenly on top of the two of them. _Another elevator,_ he thought. _Why can’t there just be stairs for once?_

The elevator platform took them down to what appeared the be the center of operations. Exactly what he was hoping for when Revan told him of the base’s location. The interior of it was vast. Numerous hangars, a clearing that seemed to be perfect for training, and what appeared to be some sort of scientific laboratory. Not that he’d be needing that at all.

Now to get the ship to the base.

“Jessa,” he called out. He turned and saw her walking towards him.

“Yeah? What’s up?”

“I want you to bring the ship back here. However, I don’t trust you not to simply leave with it…” he said hesitantly, unsure if he should do what he had planned.

“Come on, really? You still don’t trust me? What makes you – “

Mentally sighing, he decided he needed to take precautions. “I’m sorry, but I cannot take the risk,” he said, raising a hand to cut her off. She began to protest, but he simply said, “You will bring the ship to a landing pad outside,” interrupting her and waving his fingers in front of her face. _I hope this works,_ he thought.

“I…I will bring the ship to a landing pad outside,” she repeated back, seemingly entranced.

“Good.”

 

*****

 

Aleixo had discovered on his journey to Takodana that he found the silent hum of a ship travelling through hyperspace to be calming. Out among the stars, seeing other planets; it had all been a dream of his for so long. He never thought he would ever get a chance to see any of it, but now that he could, he found it difficult to not be completely enthralled by it.

The ship was on autopilot, so he had retreated to the captain’s quarters to meditate. The silent hum of hyperspace helped him ease into his meditation. He opened himself up to the Force, finding its center and letting in both the light and the dark. They were on their way back to Takodana; Jessa had figured that was the best place for her to find a place on another smuggler’s crew. Part of him wasn’t complaining. After all, did he really need her?

He had to admit to himself that, yes, he actually may.

Ok, maybe not _need_ her, but having her around wouldn’t be such an awful thing, would it? She did know the underworld, or at least knew it better than he did right now. He needed a way to get credits, seeing as he didn’t magically acquire some since he’d left Takodana. Perhaps having a partner for smuggling runs would make things easier.

Not to mention that he had come to enjoy the company.

He was deep in meditation when Jessa came into the room.

“Hey, we have a problem.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update: I still suck at writing summaries.
> 
> I'm writing this without a beta currently, which is why this update took so long. Editing your own work isn't always easy. So if anyone wants to be a beta for me...
> 
> The names of chapters don't always correlate with what it's about or what takes place within them, for the record.
> 
> Hit me with those kudos and comments, I live for them.


	5. Tatooine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aleixo ends up on Tatooine, and has a vision that has him go off Sith hunting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story continues to be un-beta'd, so any mistakes are totally not my fault and are really just the fault of my non-existent beta reader.

Aleixo snapped out of his meditation, and quickly rose to his feet. “What do you mean we have a problem?” he asked.

“Well,” Jessa began. “For starters, we’re low on fuel. Secondly, I think we’ve got an issue with the hyperdrive.”

 _Oh kriff,_ he thought to himself. _That’s perfect._

“What’s the nearest planet?” he said, his voice still synthetic sounding through his mask. Perhaps if they could find somewhere to land and dock, they can acquire more fuel and take some time to fix the hyperdrive.

“Tatooine.”

 _Perfect. Just perfect. A desert hell hole run by those disgusting Hutts._ Aleixo’s rage began to grow as he remembered Grakkus and his life as a slave. He could feel the fire inside of him; the raging inferno burning. He could almost feel his eyes starting to glow yellow…

“Uh, you alright there?”

Aleixo snapped back to reality. How long had he been standing there stewing? No matter…

“Yeah…Yeah I’m good. Do we have enough fuel to land on Tatooine?”

Jessa simply nodded, though Aleixo could sense she was trying hard to hide her unease. If they could just make it to Tatooine, they could…

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when the force began speaking to him. He could see darkness, a blood red lightsaber, a pair of Jedi…He realized then that this was the will of the Force. There was a Sith on Tatooine, of that there was no doubt in his mind.

 _Well,_ he thought to himself. _This is going to get interesting._

“Take us down into the closest place you can land,” he said, turning to face Jessa.

“Mos Espa?” she asked.

“Whatever the closest spaceport is. It doesn’t matter much.” It really didn’t matter much. He just needed to figure out if what the Force had shown him was truly going to happen. The future was, of course, always in motion. Things could change at any moment. Either way, Aleixo was sure he was flying mostly blind, for better or worse.

He stood behind the co-pilot’s chair, watching as Jessa expertly guided the ship into the planet’s atmosphere and down towards the surface. _She may just be a better pilot than I am. Interesting,_ he thought as they managed to land smoothly in the area of Mos Espa. _Time to assess the damage._

Looking at the hyperdrive, Aleixo could tell just by the damage that there was no way they’d be able to make another jump without fixing it first. The problem was, he didn’t have the first clue how to fix it. That certainly made things more difficult. Perhaps they could find someone around who could make the repairs?

 _Sithspit_. But that would cost credits. Credits that he didn’t have. And credits he guessed Jessa didn’t have either. _Fierfek._ How the kriff were they going to fix the hyperdrive if he couldn’t do it and they couldn’t pay someone to do it for them?

“It doesn’t look too bad,” Jessa said. “I can probably have this fixed in a few hours.”

Aleixo was thankful for his mask, because otherwise Jessa would have undoubtedly seen the surprise on his face. “Wait, you can?” he asked her.

“Yeah, I think so,” she said, ducking her head out from underneath the engine compartment. “The damage isn’t too severe, thankfully. It’ll just take some minor work. I can have it done pretty easy.” She turned her head to face Aleixo, and smirked at him. “If I weren’t here, you wouldn’t be able to fix this, would you?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

For a moment, Aleixo thought of arguing. After all, why would he admit to her that he wasn’t a capable mechanic? He didn’t need her, or anyone else for that matter. He only needed himself, and his own self was the only person he could rely on. At least, that’s what he wanted to think. The Force, however, whispered to him, and it told him differently.

_Ok, maybe she could be useful._

“…No,” he began slowly, still not wanting to give away too much about himself. “No, I wouldn’t. I’m glad you’re able to, however. I wouldn’t want to be stuck on this dust ball for too long.”

Jessa grinned at him, laughing as she did. “No,” she said. “No, we definitely don’t. Stars do I hate this planet.”

“We still have the issue of getting fuel, though…” he said. Before he could finish his thought, however, Jessa cut him off with a wave of her hand. Evidently, she already had a plan for that. “Don’t worry about that,” she said. “I know a guy. He owes me and then some. He’ll get us fueled and ready to go again.”

 _Ok, maybe she was more than useful,_ he thought to himself, thanking the universe that they wouldn’t be stuck in the desert for too long. But that was beside the point. He was here for a reason, that much he was sure of. The Force willed it, and who was he to deny its will? He had a Sith to find, after all.

Looking around the spaceport, his eyes found a speeder that was unmanned and, at least for the moment, and unattended. Well, he’d already stolen a ship, why not add a speeder to that list? Without hesitating, he began moving towards it, not wishing to waste any time. If there was in fact a Sith on Tatooine, he wanted to find them and, hopefully destroy them.

“Hey, where are you going?” he heard Jessa call after him. He started to turn to respond, but he noticed that someone was about to leave on the speeder and, well, he just couldn’t have that, now could he? “Finding a Sith,” he yelled over his shoulder as Jessa watched him, confused as ever.

Aleixo extended his arm outwards, using the Force to grab the man on the speeder and throw him a solid three or four meters away. He then reached into the Force again to augment his jump, landing on the speeder and taking off into the desert.

*****

Walking through the dunes of Tatooine might be Anakin Skywalker’s least favorite thing in the universe.

Well, besides sand, of course.

Plus, he wasn’t sure what was worse: The blazing heat of the day time, or the frigid temperatures of the night. All this for a stupid Huttlet; Jabba’s son, no less. Force did he hates Hutts. He just hoped the plan he and Ahsoka had decided on would work. He guessed that Dooku would come to him, on the assumption that he would be in possession of the Huttlet.

Looking ahead of him, he saw a speeder in the distance, coming straight towards him. He could sense the dark side in the driver, and immediately knew it was Dooku. The plan worked after all.

Stopping maybe a meter in front him, a hooded Dooku stepped off the speeder and simply glared at him. Anakin immediately pulled his lightsaber from where it was dangling from his left hip and ignited the bright blue blade.

“Surrender the Huttlet or die, Skywalker,” Dooku said before immediately unleashing a torrent of force lightning at him. Anakin reacted fast, absorbing the lightning with his blade. Dooku ceased the lightning, moving his hand to lower his hood, remove the curved hilt of his lightsaber from his hip, and ignited the blood red blade. He charged Anakin, blade ready as Anakin parried his first strike.

He had been revered as one of the best duelists in the Jedi Order before he resigned and fell to the dark side. His ability in Form II Makashi was truly unparalleled in the entire galaxy, and he had even augmented the form to compensate for its lack of ability in deflecting blaster fire. Anakin knew this, and still found himself on the defensive from the get go. He parried a few more of Dooku’s swipes, catching the last one high and to his right before Dooku quickly moved his blade to jab at his midsection. Anakin jumped back to avoid being run through, only to find himself leaning back immediately so as not to get stabbed in the face.

Anakin tried to go on the offensive, utilizing his proficiency in Form V Djem So to try and press the advantage. Dooku, however, was faster than Anakin was, parrying his first strike and quickly dodging another. The two traded blows back and forth before they found themselves in a blade lock.

“Your training has come a long way, boy,” Dooku said, releasing from the lock and matching Anakin blow for blow, parrying all of his jabs and strikes before releasing again. “Ah, now I remember,” the former Jedi said, taunting Anakin. “This was your home planet, wasn’t it? I sense your strong feelings. Feelings of pain, and loss.”

It took a lot of effort for Anakin to quash the anger that rose up inside of him before extending a gloved hand outwards, projecting a wave of sand towards the Sith. Dooku was pushed back and thrown off a bit, but he recovered quickly, countering Anakin’s move and sending the sand back at him. Anakin covered his face with his arm, but was still thrown backwards, losing his lightsaber in the process. Dooku was really testing his patience now.

He looked behind him at his lightsaber lying on the ground, then back over his shoulder. Dooku was in mid-air, leaping towards him, ready to strike the killing blow. Acting fast, Anakin extended his right arm and calling his lightsaber back to his hand, igniting the blade and catching Dooku’s just in time. Dooku looked down at him, his anger showing clearly in his face, while Anakin stared back, determined to keep the Sith at bay and distracted long enough for Ahsoka to reach Jabba’s palace. He rolled out from underneath the blade lock, standing up with his back facing Dooku, and the fallen Jedi sliced through the backpack Anakin had been carrying, forcing Anakin back to the ground. He got back up on his hands and knees, and looked up at Dooku.

“You’ve failed, Jedi,” he said, not noticing the smirk growing on Anakin’s face. “I’ve just killed Jabba’s son.”

Anakin snickered to himself internally. “You’ve fallen for my little trick, Count,” he said, removing the backpack from his shoulders and throwing it to the ground in front of Dooku. “It’s nothing but rocks. The Huttlet is with my Padawan, safely at Jabba’s palace.”

“I expected such treachery from a Jedi,” Dooku retorted. “I assure you my web is strong enough to catch your insignificant little _Padawan_.” There was an undeniable venom in his voice as he spat out the word “Padawan.”

Anakin simply met Dooku’s gaze, not flinching a bit. “She’s more skillful than you think,” he said, a he began to get back to his feet.

“You deceive yourself!” Dooku yelled as he ignited his lightsaber and once more charged at Anakin, only to be met with three quick parries. The Knight continued matching Dooku blow for blow until the Sith’s superior skill with the blade caught up to him. Dooku’s parried a strike, pushing Anakin’s lightsaber to his right, leaving him open for an attack. Dooku thrust his arm forward, hitting Anakin with a force push that sent him tumbling to the ground, kicking sand up into his face and into his boots. Now he was really annoyed.

“Look,” Dooku said as he walked towards him and removing a holocomm from within his robe. “I have a message from your Padawan.” Dooku turned on the holocomm, showing a projection of Ahsoka surrounded by MagnaGuards. Now Anakin was really mad. He got up to charge at Dooku, when they both stopped and looked at the projection. A new figure had appeared in Ahsoka’s place.

*****

Ahsoka could see Jabba’s palace in the distance, not too far from where she was currently walking. _Almost there_ , she thought to herself. She continued on the sandy path, the Huttlet strapped to her back and her Master’s astromech trailing close behind, and the Force suddenly blared a warning in her head.

Artoo beeped and whirred as Ahsoka took a half step backwards, quickly pulling out her lightsaber and igniting the green blade. Three MagnaGuards emerged from underneath the sand, switching on their electrostaffs with loud and successive _cracks_. Ahsoka felt her nervousness spike in an instant, as MagnaGuards were not easy opponents to defeat. Artoo quickly rolled forward, an antenna popping out of his dome and shooting a burst of electricity out of it in an attempt to take down one of the Magna droids. The electricity was absorbed by the other droid’s electrostaff, though, and Artoo was quickly struck by a blow from the staff and sent flying backwards, sliding down a sandy slope.

“Artoo!” Ahsoka yelled as the droid let out a scream before it landed on its side, a couple meters behind her. She quickly had to duck from an incoming onslaught of strikes from the MagnaGuards, jumping back a step to regain her balance and put a small bit of space between her and the droids. “Three against two?” she said, half to herself and half to the little Huttlet. “Stinky, you watch my back.” She was outnumbered, and maybe even out-skilled.

She quickly parried a few swipes from the droids, using her acrobatic abilities to jump backwards to try and regain space. She could hear Artoo whimpering behind her, the droid obviously upset that it couldn’t help her more. The MagnaGuards continued closing in on her, and when she found she didn’t have enough room to jump back any further, she decided to try a backflip back and to her left, hoping the extra space would create an advantage for her.

Except she couldn’t stick the landing.

As her feet touched the ground, she immediately lost her balance and began falling backwards. She hit the ground, and began sliding down the slope Artoo was currently stuck on, yelling out as she fell. She flew off a slight incline in the slope, attempting to turn around to land on her feet, but instead she hit the ground hard once more, landing face first in the dirt.

She didn’t see what happened next, but she didn’t need to. She could hear the sound of a speeder, and the sound of the MagnaGuards being utterly dismantled. In addition, she could feel a new presence in the Force. It wasn’t Master Skywalker, but it also wasn’t Dooku. Ventress, maybe? She couldn’t place it. The Force signature was different from any other she’d felt before., and while she felt the dark side flowing through them, she could also feel…the light?

As she stood up to face, and possibly confront, this mysterious person, all she saw was a dark robed figure wearing a Mandalorian style mask. “Keep up, Jedi,” a male voice said from behind the mask. Before she could say anything back, the person had turned their back to her and was speaking to a holocomm showing the projections of Dooku and Master Skywalker.

*****

Aleixo wasn’t sure where the Force was guiding him, but a part of him wasn’t sure he liked it. He could see Jabba the Hutt’s palace in the distance, ahead of him and to his right, and oh how he despised the Hutts. Not allowing his anger to overwhelm him, he turned his head to look in front of him when he saw a small figure wielding a green lightsaber squaring off against three droids armed with electrostaffs. A _Jedi in need, apparently_ , he thought to himself. He pulled the throttle of the speeder back and sped towards the fight.

He wasn’t in time to stop the small Jedi from falling, but he did make it in time to stop the droids from following her down the slope where they had fallen. Gathering the Force around him, he leapt from the speeder, landing directly in the path of the droids, and drove his right hand hard into the ground, releasing a Force wave that made quick work of the machines. He turned to speak to the Jedi, evidently a young Togruta girl, and said “Keep up, Jedi.” He then spotted a holocomm on the ground that showed the projections of a stunned Anakin Skywalker, and an even more stunned Count Dooku.

“Ah, you must be the fallen Master Dooku,” he said.

*****

“What is the meaning of this, Jedi?!” Dooku spat at the projection of the masked individual.

Silence. Then came a low, grim chuckle. “You mistake me,” came the deep voice. Evidently this was a man behind the mask, Dooku thought. “I’m no Jedi.”

“Then who are you? Dooku spat back. He’d completely forgotten Skywalker was even there at this point. Not that it mattered, since the boy was simply standing there, frozen in an almost shocked state. “You’re certainly not anyone under my command.”

The masked man stood silent for a moment, seemingly contemplating what Dooku had just said. (What Dooku and Anakin were not aware of, however, was that it was taking all the effort in the galaxy for Aleixo not to burst out laughing in response)

“I believe you would know if you had a masked man running rampant through your… _Separatist_ ranks, Count Dooku. Tell me, however, would you know it if I’d been sent by your Master? I find it highly improbable, _Sith_.”

Dooku froze. Had this person been sent by Lord Sidious? If so, why would his Master break the Rule of Two? “So, my Master sent you. What good could possibly come from this?” He had to be careful what he said. If he gave away too much, Skywalker would undoubtedly run and tell Kenobi, who in turn would tell the Council. Inwardly groaning in frustration, Dooku leveled his eyes back at the projection.

“That is a question you should ask your Master, Dooku,” the masked man said. The projection of the man then turned its head to Dooku’s left slightly. “Besides, it’s far more important that you be aware of your surroundings. Skywalker has already left.”

Dooku turned quickly, only to see Skywalker racing off into the distance on Dooku’s own speeder. He turned to speak to the projection again, but the feed had been cut. Who was his Master’s new apprentice, and why hadn’t he been told of him?

*****

Anakin pulled the throttle back on Dooku’s speeder even further. He had to get to Ahsoka. She was only a Padawan, not ready to fight a Sith yet. He wasn’t about to lose her on their first mission together. This karking planet already held enough terrible memories for him. He didn’t want to add another one to the list.

Ahead of him in the distance, he could almost make out the silhouetted figures of two individuals talking. It had to be Ahsoka and the Sith. _Force, no_ , he thought to himself. She wasn’t about to turn, was she? The Force was whispering to him, trying to speak to him, but all he interpreted was a warning. Slowing the speeder down, he waited until he was close enough to them to land a jump in front of them. Leaping from the seat, he ignited his lightsaber in mid-air, doing a front flip before landing in between Ahsoka and the masked Sith. His eyes glowering at the masked man before him. He expected him to flinch, possibly even reach for his own lightsaber, but he didn’t make any move. He stood there, completely still. “Step away from my Padawan.”

His lightsaber deactivated suddenly, but he had no idea why. Had he accidentally switched it off? No, he never does that. What the kriff just happened?

“Haven’t we been over this already Skywalker? I’m not interested in fighting you,” the masked man said.

Anakin opened his mouth to speak, but he found that words wouldn’t form. He was taken completely by surprise. Who was this Sith, and why did he act as if he knew him? He could feel tendrils beginning to poke at his mind and mental shields, the latter of which he slammed up in an instant. He moved to raise his lightsaber again, but instead it flew out of his hand and into the open palm of the masked Sith. He began to grow angry, but he was starting to feel like this had happened before. Had it?

“Did you not learn from the last time that happened, Skywalker?” the masked man said, before turning to Ahsoka. “Go on, Padawan. I believe you have a Huttlet to return.” Ahsoka smiled a bit, before turning around and walking towards Jabba’s palace.

Anakin stood there, still glowering, when the masked man turned to him and lifted his mask, showing a familiar, grinning face.

“Remember me, Skywalker?”

Before Anakin could respond, the familiar face was once again covered with a mask as the man jumped back on his speeder and drove off into the distance.

"Aleixo?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's certainly been a while. I'll basically just update this whenever the inspiration strikes me again. Kudos and comments are much appreciated.


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